Welcome! This is written primarily for people with Type 2 Diabetes. Some information covers all types of diabetes. Always keep a positive attitude is my motto.
I am a person with diabetes type 2 and write about my experiences and research. Please discuss medical problems with your doctor. Please do not click on the advertisers that have attached to certain words in this section. They are not authorized and are robbing me by doing so.

January 3, 2016

Are You Using Generics or Brand Name Drugs?

Prescribing generic medicines instead
of brand name drugs whenever possible cuts costs, improves patient
adherence, and improves health outcomes, according to a newrecommendation from the American College of Physicians.

“Generic medications are cheaper
and patients are more likely to get those prescriptions filled,”
said Dr. Amir Qaseem of the American College of Physicians, who
coauthored the recommendation. “This is for both physicians and
patients,” Dr. Qaseem told Reuters Health by phone.

I like what Dr. Qaseem has stated,
“Despite what some patients and even doctors may believe,
generics are consistently as effective and safe as their brand-name
counterparts.” The ACP has reviewed existing evidence and
found that for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, for example, up
to 45 percent of prescriptions are for brand-name drugs when
identical generics are available. Choosing these generics instead,
and choosing therapeutically similar but chemically different
generics in some other cases, could save up to $1.4 billion for
Medicare, the reviewers found.

Brand name prescriptions are almost
twice as likely to be prescribed but never picked up from the
pharmacy than generics, and not adhering to prescribed medications
leads to higher out-of-pocket costs for patients later on, the
reviewers wrote in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Often, patients don't tell their doctors they can't afford an
expensive drug they were prescribed; they just fail to take it, or
take it at sub-therapeutic (too low) doses because of its cost,”
said Dr. Jerome Avorn, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical
School in Boston, who was not part of the new study. “And this has
major health effects.”

The new recommendation “is based on a
thorough review of data from a huge number of relevant studies in the
medical literature, raising it above the level of 'conventional
wisdom,'” Avorn said.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) is one of the most widely
respected bodies in medicine, Avorn told Reuters Health by email.

Some physicians may not be aware that a generic form of a medication
is available, or may refer to the drug by its brand name out of
habit, which results in more expensive prescriptions, Qaseem said.

Continuing physician education programs could keep doctors abreast of
available generics, as well as interactive options on electronic
health records, he

said. “A large scale public awareness campaign is what’s
needed,” he said. “Many think if it’s cheaper it’s
not as good.”

But, there are some cases when a generic substitution is not
available or is not appropriate for a particular patient, he noted.
Yes, this sometimes happens and doctors need to be aware of the
finances of the patient, as there are often assistance programs
available.

“This information about generics is especially timely now, given
all we've seen in the last year or two demonstrating that brand-name
companies can charge whatever they please for their products, even if
the price is astronomical,” Avorn said. “It's not clear
that will change any time soon, making it even more important to
educate doctors to use generics whenever possible.”

1 comment:

Because of the "doughnut hole" I buy as many generic drugs through Walmart's generic drug program as much as possible. I pay the cash price and do not run them through insurance. Even though I would get the Walmart price even if I did and the insurance company would not be out any cost, they would still charge the amount I paid against my allowable. There have even been times when I will actually pay a higher price and get the same drug OTC and take maybe twice the amount recommended on the package to equal the amount of the prescription in order to try and not reach the "doughnut hole".

Search

Subscribe To

About Me

I am enjoying life, despite diabetes type 2. I am retired and enjoying the time I have for writing and photography. I was diagnosed with type 2 on Oct 2003, on oral meds for 4 months and they were doing nothing to really improve my daily readings. By cutting my carbohydrates I received the most improvement, but still not enough. Then I requested insulin, even though I did not like the thought of needles. That brought about the biggest change and A1c's in the lower 6's and upper 5's. Now I am working at maintaining them under 6.0 and hopefully nearer 5.5.